What Is Trauma?

We understand trauma as an injury that is caused on the organism or on the psychology of a person, causing changes in normal functioning. Trauma can vary in severity, although in most cases the notion of trauma is linked to a wound or injury that requires further treatment, be it physical, moral, emotional or mental.

Normally, the field of medicine is differentiated between physical trauma and psychological trauma. Although both types are generated by a change in an individual’s normal course of physical or mental health, the causes, situations or elements responsible for a change, as well as the consequences, can vary widely.

When we talk about physical trauma, we refer to a type of injury that directly affects the body at a physical level. Physical trauma can be caused either by blows or by acute injuries. Physical trauma almost always requires some type of medical attention that can imply greater or lesser urgency, complexity and duration. These types of traumas can happen due to accidents or intentional physical attacks. In cases where injuries are serious, police intervention may be required to investigate the cause of the situation.

On the other hand, traumas that happen on a psychological level can also involve a deeper severity. In general, psychological trauma is produced from the experience of a painful, distressing or critical experience. It can be the witness of death of a loved one (in some cases, of an unknown person), suffer some type of abuse, or some situation resulting in near death. Psychological traumas can be much more difficult to cure than physical traumas. This is because selected therapy procedures may not always be the most effective ones. In addition, psychological trauma can completely change an individual’s personality and transform their life into a totally different experience.